Drills of Mirage Kingdom
by Pete the Rock
Summary: Simon, Nia and Yoko are thrown in a tornado into the Pokémon World where they cross paths with Ash, Morrison and Shauna on their way to the Mirage Kingdom.
1. A Spiral of Trees?

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or Tengan Toppa Gurren Lagann

Summary: Takes place after Simon's battle against Lord Genome. Simon, Nia and Yoko are thrown in a tornado into the Pokémon World where they cross paths with Ash, Morrison and Shauna on their way to the Mirage Kingdom. Rated for mild violence and language.

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Drills of Mirage Kingdom

_Chapter 1: A Spiral of Trees?_

The battle was over. A tall, heavily muscular bald bearded man had just been beaten by a young blue-haired man in an opened blue jacket sporting yellow goggles with red frames. By him was a young female with blue/blond hair and flowers in her eyes. She was wearing pink: blouse, skirt, shoes and jacket. The big man had his chest blown off, literally. Yet, he stood as if it was nothing. He began to crumble instead of gush enormous amounts of blood. "Here this now," the big guy sneered. "You will soon come to regret it." The young male was busted up badly, swollen face and battered body.

"Lord Genome..." the boy weakly wanted to ask.

"I will leave you with this warning. When the land overflows with a million apes, the moon shall become Hell's messenger and will completely destroy the world of the Spiral." A prophecy? Words of utter Armageddon?

"What does that mean?!" Genome sneered before taking the final plunge as the girl bolted over to his side.

"Father, no!" she cried out. It was too late to save him. Falling from the top of the tower, he plummeted hundreds of feet down. The girl was on her knees, watching Genome for the final time. The lord was dethroned. The boy got to her side, a face of grit revealed. "Farewell, my father. I will...head towards tomorrow." She stood, ready to join her boy for a retreat. Suddenly, a rumbling. The tower was beginning to crack under the death of Lord Genome. The tower crumbled into a heap of rock and twisted metal. Yet, a giant red human-looking robot was flying toward a group of people and more machines. It was a grand union as the sun rose to a new day. Everyone was celebrating the fall of the lord. The boy wound up in a medical room, being treated of his injuries from his battle with Genome. The turquoise-haired man wrapped up most of the wounds.

"From the sound of the battle, you're lucky the injuries weren't any worse, Simon," he flamboyantly awed. Simon felt a little guilty about the harm done in the battle prior to the start of this.

"Jeez, Leeron, you make it sound like Lord Genome was taking it easy on me," Simon chuckled. Was Genome being light on you because of your age? "I think I should listen to Nia. I need to head towards tomorrow, myself. Nothing more to do than to take the future head-on." That's the spirit. Simon only spent an hour in the unit before stepping out. He found himself on the deck of a giant ship with legs. There was a flag which appeared to be a flame wearing sunglasses. Cool shades. Simon was seen polishing up a smaller red robot that appeared to be a head with arms and legs and the crown was peachy pink.

"Polishing Lagann, aren't we, Simon?" another female teased. Simon turned to a taller redhead ponytail young woman wearing a flame-decal bikini top, black track shorts and pink stockings under monster killer boots.

"Yoko..." Simon darted his eyes up, a bright blue sky hanging above. "Do you think Bro would've been proud of what we accomplished?" Bro? Yoko looked to the same clear atmosphere viewing a taller blue-haired handsome man who was shirtless but had a red cape like a superhero.

"Kamina... I bet he would be proud of you for first getting out of the funk you were in. After he sacrificed his life to preserve ours, you were well out if it. It was almost as if he was telling you that you had to take charge of Dai-Gurren." Maybe Yoko had a point. Simon remembered the moment when someone was lost during whatever battle had occurred before Simon's fight with Lord Genome. Nia decided to join the two, noticing how talkative they were.

"You two seem to be in good spirits," she spoke up. The two saw and welcomed Nia into the conversation. "So, now that my father has been vanquished, what's there for us to do?" That's a really good question. Simon thought back to Genome's final words before his fatal plunge.

"I'm a bit worried about what Lord Genome said," he recalled. "When the land fills with a million apes... Is he trying to say that the world will be overpopulated by all the people living underground?" By a million apes, Simon referred to people that were under the earth's surface.

"Simon!" Yoko called. Simon snapped out of whatever delusion that Genome seemed to have sent him to. "Now's not the time to think about what some dead guy advised. What we should do is start some new civilization for the people to live in." There you go. Simon seemed to agree with Yoko's proposition.

"You're right, Yoko. It may be Late Genome trying to scare us." Well, Simon, here came a scare for you. In an instant, high winds began to blow on the three, almost enough to lift Nia's dress.

"Simon, Yoko, Nia!" some male shouted using a PA system. "Get inside! There's a twister barreling towards us!" That could explain a lot about the high winds. However, those winds blew off the sounds from the horns.

"What was that, Kittan?" Yoko tried to ask. That's when Simon hopped inside Lagann, hoping to keep himself anchored to the ground. No good. Lagann was lifting off as well as Yoko and Nia. Using Lagann, Simon grabbed Nia and Yoko but it was in vain as all three and robot flew off. In an effort to add weight to Lagann, the girls crawled into the robot and joined Simon. Useless. The group jettisoned into the great beyond. They were gone.

"Simon! Yoko! Nia!" Sorry, Kittan. Some distance away, there was Simon lying on some grass. He seemed out cold.

"Simon!" Nia yelled out from above. "Simon!" Finally, Simon opened his eyes in front of Nia...and trees.

"Nia..." he moaned. Nia loaned a hand to lift Simon back on his feet. "You okay?" Nia seemed to be in good condition.

"I am." That's two accounted for. "Where's Miss Yoko?" Just her missing.

"Speaking of, where the hell are we? I don't remember grass and trees." Good point. Wandering for a minute, the two spotted a river. "Clean water." Simon raced and splashed his face, rubbing the water on his soiled and oily skin. One great relieving sigh later. "That feels great! Cold, but really wonderful." Seeing the way the water was flowing, Nia assumed that maybe their other comrade was close by.

"Let's check upstream." Okay, why? Simon doubted her choice of direction with a pretty easy reason.

"Nia, usually the people travel _down_stream." Ignoring Simon, Nia chose to go her path. "Nia, wait!" Talk about trying to stick together. They journeyed the upstream route when suddenly, they spotted a large black rifle lying on the side of a waterfall.

"That's Yoko's rifle!" Maybe Nia was right. They raced to the rifle, lying adjacent to the rock wall. Something didn't quite fit. It was like the rifle was put down by someone. Nia looked around and found a rope which led to the top of the fall. "Let's check up there. Maybe Yoko climbed the rope to get a better view." She was on fire with her guessing. Simon did not want to argue and climbed the rope first. Nia followed. 15 minutes of climbing and they reached the peak. That's when they saw Yoko and Lagann. What luck. Yoko was resting on a couple of trees. That twister must have knocked the wind out of her.

"Yoko!" Yoko heard the call of Simon, waking up. Needless to say how happy she was to know that the other two youngsters were doing fine.

"Simon..." she murmured. "Nia..." The two were glad to be reunited. However, there was about to be a mood change. A school of blue mud fish with orange cheeks and fins on top of the heads waddled over the three. Simon saw it and took a defensive position.

"What the hell?" One of the mud fish came towards Nia. Undeterred, Nia stroke the fin of the fish. It seemed to like it. "Nia?"

"I'm sorry if we frightened you," Nia apologized. The fish didn't think it was a big deal.

("No biggie,") it squeaked. Nia smiled while Yoko and Simon seemed perplexed. What they heard was "mud" and "kip."

"Well I'm glad that we can understand." Oh, sure, she can understand them.

"Easy for you to say," Yoko mumbled. Simon bobbed a nod, agreeing with Yoko. That's when there was a rustle in the bushes. The group turned to see an elderly man who had a whitish hairdo much like the mud fish.

"What's going over here?" he grumbled while coming out in a water logged brown business suit. The three became alert and defensive. "And what are you three doing trespassing onto private grounds?" Trespassing? This area was private?

"We're sorry," Nia spoke up. "We found a rope that led up to the top of this waterfall here looking for a friend." She was meaning Yoko. The old man seemed a little more sympathetic.

"You mean you were looking for a lost one?" Simon nodded to confirm. "Well, I don't know. You three don't appear to be trainers." Trainers? "Why don't you tell me your story over some tea? It could explain what the heck that is over there." He couldn't be meaning...yep. Lagann. In a little hut, Yoko explained what had occurred before coming to the top of the water. Some of the topics included how they met, how Kamina died and the battle against Lord Genome. "I say, you kids have plenty of adventures over in the world you're from. I do feel pretty bad about your friend, Kamina, though." That was thoughtful. Yoko peered over to glass cages where stacks of blue eggs rested in hay nests. The eggs had orange spots on them.

"So, Swampy," she spoke up. "Do all these eggs contain a Mudkip?" Were those the critters frolicking outside?

"That's right. The League presents me with these eggs for new trainers in the Hoenn region or here as a matter of fact. Each region has three caretakers raising a different Pokémon for the professors to give the Pokémon to trainers as starters." Talk about a special task. Even Simon felt it was a lot for one man to work out on.

"How do you keep raising the Mudkip considering your age?" he pointed out. Swampy scoffed at Simon's question, thinking merely to a joke.

"Well, Simon, they're babies looking to me as a grandfather. Each new Mudkip hatching is just as precious as the last or next. The only thing I'm surprised at is that they don't pick up on a habit of mine and not just because they can't speak the human tongue." A habit? What would that be?

"What is this habit of yours?" Nia questioned.

"Well, I blurt out important information that should be kept quiet, like the dam that's keeping the river from flooding or how valuable the Mudkip are to me and the League." That's...a pretty bad habit. "Of course, after meeting Ash, Brock, May and Max, I've been doing better settling that habit of mine but since I've been so busy raising the Mudkip, I completely forgot about the rope they used to climb this waterfall until you happened to use it again." Swampy made it sound like the four new names were good people. Yoko, Simon and Nia smiled wonderfully to the notice of people who respected Swampy. That's when the grounds shook. Earthquake?

"What was that?!" Simon wondered. The four stepped outside...to a sight of a large black walking tank with a vacuum in front. The vacuum was sucking the water and Mudkip from the river leading to the waterfall.

"This isn't good," Yoko huffed. "I don't even know where my rifle is!" Who was doing this? The top opened to reveal two black uniformed adults emerged on an elevated platform. One was a blond female with twin ponytails which had stars formed at the tips. The other was a turquoise-haired male.

"Prepare for trouble, the Mudkip are coming with us," the female with a rather sassy attitude announced.

"Make it double, it's pointless to fuss," the male with a croak in his tone snarled.

"To infect the world with devastation."

"To blight all people within every nation."

"To denounce the goodness of truth and love."

"To extend our wrath to the stars above."

"Cassidy."

"And it's Butch, just in case you feel like poking fun."

"Team Rocket circles the globe everyday and night."

"Surrender now because you'll surely lost the fight." This was a problem.

"That wasn't the same motto I remember," Swampy reviewed. Cassidy realized that there was a previous run-in with some others.

"Oh, don't worry about those sad sacks," she sneered. "They're not as vicious as us. Totally less accident-prone." This guys sounded like they meant business. Simon saw Lagann. He had to act.

"You guys get back inside," Simon advised. "I'll take care of these jokers." He began to sprint toward Lagann, much to Nia's chagrin.

"Simon, don't!" she cried out. Too late. Once inside, the dome closed and Lagann was active.

"I may not have Gurren, but that doesn't mean I can't dish out the pain!" Butch became the laughter. This was one kid wanting to duke it out with two adults.

"You foolish brat," he huffed. "I'd like to see you take us down." Unfortunately for Butch, he was about to eat those words.

"Take Down, now!" someone else shouted. Who? It was male but it wasn't Swampy or Simon. Out of nowhere, a large blue hovering saucer-like creature with steel arms and a spike for a nose bashed into the tank, knocking it onto its side. The impact was so big, the glass containing the water and Mudkip escaped. The saucer-like creature sided by Lagann, much to the amazement of Swampy, Nia and Yoko.

"A Metang?" Swampy identified. The tank was a twisted mess. Finally out, Cassidy and Butch turned to see three youngsters with a yellow mouse by the cliff of the waterfall. The mouse had a lightning bolt for a tail. The three newcomers? One was a raven-haired young man in a blue sweat-tee and a red baseball cap. The second was a ponytail blue-haired girl in a pink midriff and tight shorts. The last was a rather rounded redhead male in what appeared to be a peach kimono and sandals. Swampy was happy to see the raven-haired male. "It's Ash! He's back!" Yoko and Nia got a good look at Ash. Needless to say that Nia saw the smirk, a ploy ready to send Cassidy and Butch out of here.

"Get ready to be charged for trespassing, Cassidy and Butch," he grinned. The two baddies were about to pay for trying to take the baby Mudkip.

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TO BE CONTINUED...


	2. A Swamped Success

_Chapter 2: A Swamped Sucess

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Just when Simon, Yoko, Nia and Swampy were about to have a school of Mudkip babies stolen by Cassidy and Butch, Ash came around. The misplaced members of an elite watched in awe, wondering who these guys were. While Swampy was thrilled to see Ash, he did seem perplexed with his backup. "Well, that _is _Ash," he remembered. "I don't know who the other two are. That's not May or Brock." Could one of them be Max?

"I don't remember sending you an invitation and especially with your clowns," Cassidy snarled.

"Yeah, all you bring is trouble," Butch added. They bring the trouble? Get your facts straight. You brought it first. The blue-haired female decided to start what the other two did.

"Good, because you two need to prepare for trouble, since we're getting you flustered," she snorted. A repeat performance?

"And let's make it triple, making you guys outnumbered," the redhead male added. Okay, a little bit of a change...

"To protect the world from major corruption," Ash continued.

"To unite the heroes from every nation," the blue-haired chanted.

"To dissolve the evils of truth, justice and love," the redhead listed.

"To extend our reach pass the stars above," Ash joked. So, we get to know who the rest are, right?

"Shauna, the battle girl," the blue-haired identified herself.

"Morrison, the big bruiser," the redhead named.

"Ash, Pallet Town's best," Ash called himself.

"We're the nightmare of every Team Rocket's plight," Shauna praised the actions.

"You'd better surrender now, since we own this fight," Morrison proceeded.

"You got that right," Ash finished. Nice little motto they put together. Needless to say that Cassidy and Butch did not take the mocked motto too lightly.

"How dare you use the Team Rocket motto into a gag reel," Cassidy growled. A gag reel? Humor us.

"Come on, you guys use the tiring motto every single time we encounter a member of your kind," Ash yawned. "If you guys weren't so brazen, there would be less encounters and complaints." That made Cassidy snarl more...and Yoko thinking that these kids have had multiple encounters according to Ash.

"It kinda reminds us of Viral during our raid on the Spiral Kingdom," she pointed out. "He's always poking his drill into our business to overthrow Lord Genome." True, but he's dead. Both Rockets pulled out red/white balls, ready to throw down. Quickly, Ash had a plan.

"Shauna, go and make sure the Mudkip are okay. Morrison and I can handle these two." Shauna nodded as she stepped aside as Metang returned to Morrison's side. Now, it was two-on-two. "Pikachu, are you ready?"

("Yeah, let's do it,") the mouse expressed as it stepped forward. Morrison, what's your member going to be? Metang?

"We needed that rattling, Metang," he praised his metallic creature. "Take a rest." A red beam shot out of the red/white ball and hit Metang before it became the red light and retreated back into the ball. "Since we're on Mudkip land, let's use a Mudkip I have. Or in this case...Swampert!" He threw another ball which opened and revealed a much larger mud fish with a bigger mouth, longer limbs, two head fins and a nasty look.

"Sure, we'll take you twerps on," Cassidy praised as she threw a ball of her own. "Go, Sableye!" Her ball opened and revealed a purple demon with diamond for eyes and a ruby embedded on its chest.

"I'll stick with Primeape," Butch decided. His ball opened as well, exposing a white ball of fur with muscled arms and legs. It also had a pig's snout. What for?

"Sableye, use Scratch!" Sableye raced in, claws ready. Morrison was quick to draw.

"Swampert, hold your ground!" he ordered. Okay, so maybe Morrison wanted to take the damage...

"Pikachu, Quick Attack!" Ash commanded. Pikachu jumped onto Swampert and used the head fins as a catapult, flinging and hitting Sableye in the ruby. Sableye was nailed back and skidded along the muddy grounds. Butch was swift to answer.

"Primeape, use Thrash," he ordered. Primeape shot forward, eying Pikachu. To Morrison, easy pickings.

"Swampert, Hydro Pump!" he called when Primeape leaped for the sky. Whoops! Swampert spat out a massive stream of water from its giant mouth, practically obliterating Primeape. Ash read an opportunity to really hammer home a good strike.

"Pikachu, ride the Hydro Pump and use Iron Tail," he chose. Pikachu jumped on top of the stream with its tail glowing white. KABLAM! KABLAM! Pikachu nailed Sableye in the face and Primeape across the nose. Both were struck so hard, they barreled into the Rockets, nailing them over to their downed tank. For Ash, it was about to be finished. "Alright, Pikachu, let's send them off like always. Thunderbolt!"

"Swampert, one more Hydro Pump!" Swampert fired another Hydro Pump while Pikachu launched a strong current of electricity from its little body. Both attacks combined and really soaked and shocked the Rockets, their Pokémon and the tank...which exploded into flames. How much gas was in there? Team Rocket went sailing.

"This is just brilliant," Cassidy whined. "That kid just had to return to Hoenn to ruin a good plan to recruit super Mudkip. This couldn't get any worse, Botch." Botch? Wasn't his name...

"Oh, for the love of..!" Butch complained loudly. "It's Butch! Butch!!!" With that correction, Cassidy and Botch...sorry, Butch sailed off into the distance. Adios!

"The way Team Rocket conducts business with Pokémon, they may never learn," Morrison scoffed. Ash couldn't agree more as he tagged elbows with his redheaded partner.

"Almost makes me wanna worry about the organization," he joked. That's when Swampy and the other girls came over to thank the trainers who came. "Old Man Swamp, you okay?"

"Well, now that you came to save the day, you bet I am," Swampy greeted. "And now that I've got a good look at your company, I do remember Morrison. You two were in the Evergrand Tournament not long ago." Was it watched by many? And what means were there? Simon exited Lagann to check out the heroes while Shauna treated the injuries the Mudkip school may have suffered in the incident.

"Yeah, well, Ash can be a great motivational speaker when the time is right," Morrison admitted while scratching the back of his neck. It had to be during the match they had. That's when the boys noticed the girls, not yet Simon and Shauna.

"By the way, who did you catch trespassing in your sanctuary?" he wondered. Yoko and Nia decided to introduce themselves to the trainers.

"Well, we didn't mean to, uh, accidentally enter Swamp's reserve," Yoko tried to plead their case. "I'm Yoko and this is Nia." That's when all looked toward the oncoming Simon. "And that's Simon, our main weapon that we had before we came here against our terms, to say the least." As Ash and Yoko began to shake hands, Morrison saw something that interested him...and may interest Ash as well.

"Ash, don't you notice?" he questioned. Ash jerked his head to Morrison, wondering what was on his mind. "That Yoko has rather large boobs on her." Yeah, like that wasn't noticeable. To Ash, this wasn't a big issue.

"So?" he blurted. Maybe Ash was blind to the bust on Yoko. Maybe Ash didn't care about someone's hooters. Either way, Morrison wanted Ash to be a man about the enormous bosoms of the redhead.

"Come on, man! She's in a bikini with knockers that any man would desire, a tight spandex shorts and stockings that could make anyone wonder if she's more than a pretty face!" All Ash did to respond was sigh. He couldn't believe how clueless Ash was to the hotness Morrison was exposing...without touching Yoko.

"It's not all that impressive," she confessed. "I've been at a resort where there were plenty of women who had busts about equal to or larger than mine." Could that be it? Did Ash know that her breasts were pale compared to other women that he may have come across?

"Oh...sorry." Finally, Nia had a chance to shake Ash's hand.

"That was really impressive the way you battled those meanies," she teased about the long gone Rockets. "It's almost the same way Simon battles using Gurren Lagann." Now there's a combination name for Ash to try and figure. Same with Shauna.

"What's Gurren Lagann?" she replayed in question. Simon opened himself to answer Shauna's curiosity.

"Well, you see that mech over there?" he spoke as he pointed to Lagann. Everyone twisted heads to see the red robot. "That's Lagann, a beastman that goes together with another mech to create the ganman Gurren Lagann. I was the main pilot after Bro perished during one of our fights back home." Dear... The trainers and Pikachu began to feel for Simon.

"Sorry about your brother. He had to be very close to you." Ash and Pikachu nodded to the sorrowing detail. Nia chose to change the subject a bit.

"Speaking of close, how were you able to come to our rescue so quickly?" she asked. Ash became the answer to that.

"We found a rather long black rifle at the base," he complied. "Shauna thought there were hunters who used something pretty dangerous to illegally capture Pokémon." Yoko's rifle. "That's when Pikachu heard the cries of the baby Mudkip and knew something was off." Thus, the rescue. That's when Swampy had to go off the deep end with why Ash was here in the first place.

"By the way, Ash," he spoke up. "After you lost to Tyson in the quarterfinals, you were going home to seek a new adventure when you had that post-battle interview. Why are you still here in the Hoenn Region and not back at Kanto?" That...was a really good question. Ash dug into his pockets where he pulled out a piece of paper. On it happened to be a letter of some sort.

"About that. I was just on my way back at Littleroot Town when I saw a Dragonite delivering mail and it just so happened that there was mail for me." He handed the letter to Simon who read it.

TO ASH KETCHUM,

EVER SINCE YOU STOPPED HANSEN FROM CARRYING OUT HIS ILL-FATED DUTIES TO TAKE THE THRONE FROM MY FATHER, IT'S...NOT BEEN EASY TO THINK ABOUT WHAT I NEED TO DO TO PREPARE FOR WHEN I NEED TO ASCEND AFTER MY PARENTS CHOOSE TO DESCEND. YOU, MISTY, MAY, MAX, BROCK AND YOUR POKÉMON HAVE AIDED ME IN AREAS THAT I CANNOT SEEM TO RELIEVE. I KNOW THAT THIS IS SUDDEN AND THAT YOU'VE JUST COMPLETED YOUR RUN AND FINISHED IN THE TOP EIGHT. AS SOON AS YOU RECEIVE THIS LETTER, I WANT TO ADDRESS MY PROPOSAL TO YOU ABOUT THE ISSUE THAT HAS BEEN ENGRAVING MY ROYAL DRESSES. I FEEL BETTER TO TALK TO YOU THAN MY PARENTS ON THE UNDERSTANDING OF MY PROBLEMS.

SINCERELY,

SARA, PRINCESS OF MIRAGE KINGDOM

A letter...why would Ash receive a letter from a princess? "I don't think I've heard of this Mirage Kingdom," Swampy doubted. To Nia, the knowledge of a princess was a bit much to hold.

"So, there's another princess in this world?" she guessed. Another princess? There's one known princess...unless...

"Wait, are you telling us that..._You're_ a princess?" Morrison gasped. Ash, Shauna, Swampy and Pikachu were shocked. Nia was pretty amused with these sudden allegations.

"Well, former princess, to be straight," Simon backed up. Former princess? She was overruled by someone? "You see, her father was Lord Genome, the last person I fought...and defeated barely." This was news. First to hear about a princess named Sara who wanted Ash to meet her and now, hearing about Nia that held a position of her own. What were the odds?

"You see, I began to ask about my bringing to life by my father," Nia explained. "When I did, I suppose he got angry with me and treated me like a useless doll, discarded to rot away." Who would leave someone to die like that? Especially family?

"You must have had a hard time understanding the reason why your own father wanted you to die," Shauna reiterated. "Then again, I think I'm starting to believe why Brawly doesn't see me more than just his apprentice." That irked Ash to Shauna, seemingly exposing a wonder why she was with him and not with this teacher of hers. Something long before this moment had triggered Shauna to wander from Brawly...but what?

"Are you saying that Brawly-" he started but was hushed by Shauna's hand in his face. She was hiding something.

"I don't wanna address it now! We need to think about getting to the Mirage Kingdom! Understand?" Ash nodded without much of a course in action. He had to wonder about why Shauna wanted the relationship between her and Brawly a secret but the Mirage Kingdom seemed more important to her. Why, though?

"Well, maybe we can go together and see this Mirage Kingdom for ourselves," Simon requested. "If it's alright with the rest of you?" Ash, Morrison, Shauna and Pikachu were rather befuddled. Three total strangers that have a beastman and that rifle of Yoko's that still laid beneath the waterfall? The four huddled, whispering about whether to accept the offer of joining them and understanding their world in comparison to this. "Heavy discussion..." It seemed to be.

"How is it heavy?" Yoko shook. "There's only three and an electricity filled mouse. Heavy requires several people, like two handfuls." Interesting argument, Yoko. The trainers broke huddle.

"It's unanimous," Ash noted. "You can join along." Alright! Simon, Yoko, Nia and Gurren were allowed to accompany the group. Goodness.

"Who knows," Nia opened up. "Maybe we'll have some great memories along the way." Who wouldn't want great memories?

"And who knows," Yoko spoke as she walked up to Morrison...and pulled his head in between the hills. Lucky! "We might embrace more than just the journey." Morrison struggled for a bit to break free from Yoko's grasp...until he remembered his talk with Ash and understanding the feeling of being a man.

"You know, this isn't so bad," he muffled. "I could get use to this." Hope not.

"Well, the sun is setting," Swampy realized. "You can spend tonight here and prepare for that trip." Not a bad offer.

"Thanks!" the rest praised. All headed into the cabin where they got to see a few more Mudkip hatch from the eggs. Tomorrow, the trip to the Mirage Kingdom begins.

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TO BE CONTINUED...


	3. Dug Up Memories

_Chapter 3: Dug Up Memories_

The morning rose for Ash, Morrison, Shauna, Simon, Yoko, Nia and Pikachu as they gear up to go to the Mirage Kingdom. Last time, Ash, Shauna and Morrison stopped Cassidy and Botch...Butch from taking a school of baby Mudkip. It was then that Ash revealed his intentions of returning through the lands: A letter from a princess in a place called the Mirage Kingdom located somewhere around Hoenn. The letter was mostly hush-hush since the princess never revealed the true reason for the aid of the raven-haired trainer. With everyone packed up, Swampy let them loose to find the Mirage Kingdom. Simon and Nia boarded Lagann as the rest pedaled on foot. They repelled down the waterfall which held the sanctuary of the Mudkip. Simon and Nia just used the jets on Lagann to ease their way down the steep embankment. On the bottom, Yoko retrieved her rifle. "Finally, it's back in my hands," she praised as she strapped the gun to her back. Seeing that rifle made Ash a little rattled.

"You don't use that on anything breathing, do you?" he questioned. He had all the right to.

"This is an electromagnetic rifle. I used it in Giha Village which is Simon's home when Gunmen raided the place on the news of Lagann. It hasn't left my side at all." Until yesterday. So, an electromagnetic rifle. Since she claimed not to use it on anything that breathed, Ash and Pikachu breathed easier. "So, on the way, why don't we hear on how you and this princess first met up?" Not a bad discussion to begin the day.

"Right and then we can talk about how Simon snapped out of losing his Bro." Nice counterpoint. Both regrouped with the others when...

"Say, you're a guy, right? Do you like girls with breasts?" Don't all girls have it?

"It's not that. It's not that I'm choosey right now. I don't have many favorites."

"Gotcha!" Understood, the group moved on. Wait...how were they going to get to the Mirage Kingdom?

"So Ash," Simon spoke up. "Where do we need to go to reach the Mirage Kingdom?" Right?

"We first need to reach Lake May," Ash plotted. "I've organized a ride to reach there considering the continuous sandstorms that try to repel the forces." Lake May was their voyage? And what was this about continuous sandstorms?

"Fortunately, we might arrive at early evening," Shauna cheered as she read the map...before she scorned her face at Ash. "As long as we don't get lost." That seemed to explain Shauna's doubts.

"Shauna, don't get so sour," Morrison advised. "Besides, did something happen between you and Brawly back at Dewfort Island?" That was brought up yesterday evening when Shauna frowned bringing his name up. Yet she chose to snap at the clueless redhead.

"What did I tell you? I don't wanna bring it up!" Obviously, that topic was pretty personal. Nia chose to change the subject.

"So Ash," she spoke. "Since you know about this Mirage Kingdom, why not tell us about how it happened?" Anything to stave Shauna's anger.

"Well, it actually started at our first pit stop, Lake May," Ash started. "I got a call from Misty, the Cerulean City Gym Leader in the Kanto Region which is where I'm from. Anyway, she told me that she was stopping on by when she received a bogus invitation to a Togepi Festival. It was actually a trap by a pair of lesser skilled Rockets. I know these Rockets all too well since they always chase after my Pikachu." Not Cassidy and Batch...Butch, right?

("Jessie and James can't claim me,") Pikachu backed its partner. What do these Rockets want?

"Anyway, continue," Simon permitted.

"Right," Ash shook off. "Well, it turned out that the Rockets were hired by the Mirage Kingdom's head official, Col. Hansen. Using a rental blimp, they kidnapped Misty and her Togepi in which we pursued. Once on the other side of the sandstorms, we landed in the hidden kingdom. Col. Hansen scolded the Rockets since we stowed away. After a bit of a scuffle, Togepi was blasted away to Sara." The princess...then why did this Hansen desire Misty's presence...unless...

"This Hansen was after your friend's Togepi?" Yoko guessed.

"That's right. He needed a Togepi to ascend the throne and rule the kingdom. Well, after we cleared things up with Sara's parents, the king and queen, we've been ordered to leave, but Hansen forced us to stay where Togepi guided us to another dimension, one that aligned alongside the Mirage Kingdom: the Togepi Paradise. Because of Hansen's tirade, the vegetation of the paradise was dried and withered...and the Paradise Togepi drastically weakened. After a while, Misty's Togepi chose to help the kingdom...but was quickly defeated. Hansen used the stolen Togepi as an excuse for power and nominated himself as the new king to overthrow the kingdom, even going to lengths like imprisoning the king and queen." Whoa, talk about a harrowing ordeal.

"But how did you stop this bad Hansen?" Nia wondered. He's getting there, right?

"Once we got out, we faced Hansen, his Shedinja and Ninjask. The Paradise Togepi used their Metronome to restore Misty's Togepi and that's when Misty's Togepi evolved...to Togetic. Because of the powerful defense, it shielded us to when Misty released her new Garydos who happened to know fire attacks. It was a Water/Flying Pokémon so it was an interesting turn. Brock and Max managed to free the king and queen and summoned the royal guards to escort Hansen to rot in the dungeon. As we were about to leave, Togetic opted to stay and help the Mirage Kingdom and the Paradise...and Sara got her Togepi to ascend to the throne...when the time comes for her to. Afterward, we all had gone our separate ways." Everyone separated? Well, let's hope for the best on that front.

"Okay, but how did you three get together?" That's a different topic that Morrison decided to reply on.

"Actually, it happened after the Evergrand Tournament," he started. "I saw the ferry which could take me to Kanto when I saw Ash with that letter. I had a feeling that something was up and wanted to make sure he wasn't doing anything stupid." A great friend to Morrison, Ash was? The notion of doing something stupid forced Ash to twist and shout.

"Morrison!" he roared. Morrison jumped a bit but recovered.

"Well, you had that look and it made me a bit fearful. You are a rival and I didn't want anything bad to happen unless we battled. Well anyway, I came over and confronted Ash who showed me the note. It may have been jealousy since I didn't know about this kingdom. So I tagged along. I'm pretty sure Ash would've done the same, wouldn't you?" That had Ash looking to the sky, wondering if he would've helped his rival should the circumstances have been switched.

"I...don't know for sure..." Morrison believed Ash was teasing, but he didn't take it lightly. Shauna chose to enroll her end to this.

"Anyway, I decided to get some training done and capture a few more Fighting-Type Pokémon to help control my composure," she continued. "I am a Battle Girl, after all. Suddenly, I took a step on the road on the side of a cliff. The road collapsed and I fell, but caught the ledge and held on, calling for help. I was rather fortunate that Ash and Morrison were nearby. After helping me up, Ash showed me why he remained in the Hoenn Region after that tournament which he finished in the Top 8. I never saw a kingdom, so notably I offered my service to join along." Okay, but that still didn't explain the notion Brawly gave you.

"Before long, Pikachu found Yoko's rifle. The rest is pretty self-explanatory." To when the six met, they were on different paths. The long day continued through the sun's appearance where Simon and Yoko explained their adventure up to when Kamina was killed and Nia met Simon and that battle with Lord Genome. As the sun slowly dove over the horizon, the group reached a large lake with a bench adjacent to the water. "Here we are. Lake May." The guys from the other dimension were awed at how sparkling the clean water was.

"Lake May looks a lot better than I would imagine," Simon awed. "I mean, I've never seen cleaner water, even at a hot spa resort." Nia and Yoko would agree...when they spotted a blimp on the other side of the lake. That has to be the ride over to the Mirage Kingdom.

"I guess that's our transportation," Yoko acknowledged. "And if worst comes to worse, Simon and Lagann can help out." Just in case of turbulence? That's when a stomach growled...then another. Simon and Ash turned to each other, their hands on their stomachs. That meant one thing on their minds: food.

"We've been so focused on making it here, we've forgotten about nourishing ourselves." Ash softly giggled as the rest laughed...before their stomachs echoed too.

"Oh well," Nia chuckled. "Looks like I need to get into the kitchen. Excuse me." She walked into a large cabin while the others watched in sheer wonder.

"I only wonder what she cooks," Ash murmured. Simon palmed Ash on the back, acting as insurance.

"You might be surprised with her material," he opened his mind. The rest joined and scarfed Nia's cooking. Shockingly, the group enjoyed the food...except for Yoko. She only had one bite and that was it. Whatever Nia made, it didn't sit too well with Yoko. You could imagine what happened next. That night, everyone was zonked from the trip...but not Shauna. Was it the food disagreeing with her? Was it Brawly? Whatever it was, she rose from her bed and out the door. Hearing the door, Nia woke. She turned to Shauna's bed, seeing it vacant. She got to Ash's bed, waking him up

"Ash!" she whispered. "Ash!" Ash opened his eyes and viewed the ex-princess.

"Nia, it's the middle of the night," he croaked. Nia was more worried about Shauna than the clock.

"Shauna left the cabin. She looks pretty distraught like when Simon lost his Bro." Ash sat up, wondering if what Nia spoke was true.

"I doubt it's your cooking. Shauna and I wolfed down a few plates." Both exited the cabin and spotted Shauna, mulling over something and soaking her feet in the lake. The viewers hid under the bleachers, hoping to get the story of Shauna. They were about to get help from Simon who wandered out of the cabin as well. He saw Shauna.

"What's wrong?" he asked as he got to her side. Shauna darted her head from seeing Simon.

"If I tell you, will you promise not to tell Ash?" she requested. Ash and Nia could only fathom what troubled Shauna so much, she wouldn't want Ash to know willingly.

"Sure." Simon removed his shoes and soaked his feet as well. "You've been grossly defensive about Brawly. Is that still bothering you?" Brawly this, Brawly that... Shauna was done hiding the issue.

"When I got word about Ash and his first battle with Brawly and how well he performed despite losing, I wanted to prove that I was better than him. I desired to be Brawly's top apprentice and a loving girlfriend. When I battled Ash, he was working on a new strategy and demonstrated it well against my Meditite. After a storm and Ash's victory, I was able to train with him, in an out. Then came the day before being helped by Ash and Morrison. I heard something that made my heart sink." This could be what was upsetting her and Ash and Nia extended ears.

"What was Brawly doing?"

"He received a phone call..." A call?

* * *

_(Shauna's Backtrack)_

_I was getting ready to go and see the rest of the region when the phone rang. "Dewfort City Gym," Brawly answered. "This is Brawly." I got curious in who would be calling him. I couldn't hear the other voice but... "It's been busy. I thought I was ready for all the tidal waves that came ashore. There have been a couple of waves that I've yet to experience and I'm not sure I have enough time to spare. Yeah, I know I need to prepare for a new batch of trainers. Oh, her? It's not that important." I just heard those two sentences the loudest, even if Brawly was speaking softly. I realized that Brawly had no room for me, despite the fact that he took me in and helped with the Gym battles. I stormed out of the Gym in so much anger and sadness, I didn't want to look him in the eye. Was I just to emphatic about being with Brawly that I didn't know his true intentions? Instead, I left a note and the Gym to pursue my style..._

* * *

"Up to the point where I fell off the cliff and had Ash and Morrison save me." Poor Shauna. She had to have been so heartbroken that the name of Brawly had her in denial. It had Simon thinking.

"Are you worried that Ash, Morrison or I would take advantage of your breakup?" he asked. Shauna wondered the same thing, that maybe the three boys would take advantage of her walk-off.

"Me telling Ash would be like if I was under his wing and not under Brawly's. I saw how he battled in the Evergrand Tournament. He's got a unique skill of using the battlefield as his advantage in substitution to type and size differences. If I was training under him...it'd feel like I would be falling in love for Ash. I don't even know if Ash is right for me. He'd probably be better off with Sara or Yoko or even Nia." Ash and Nia gulped a bit as they turned to each other. The flowers in Nia's eyes...the fire in Ash's eyes. Simon scoffed at Shauna's sad story.

"Why don't you tell him? I'm sure he can understand what you're dealing with." That would be something Shauna was trying to avoid.

"That's just it. Sure he's a cute guy on the outside." Then she let out a massive sigh. "I...I don't know. I'm just fogged up as it is. In all honesty, I'd rather be making out with you." That rose Simon's lids...as well as Nia's.

"A couple of blue hairs blushing red soon?" Ash teased quietly. Simon shook off the offer, if that was an offer to begin with.

"I'm sure when you're ready, you'll tell him about your feelings," he promised.

"I guess," Shauna huffed. "Sorry about that. My head..."Simon knew her situation's relation.

"Yeah, I was the same when Bro died and when Nia came before snapping out and beating Guam." Shauna nodded. Both feet looking like raisins from the length in the water, the two walked back into the cabin to sleep it off...and Ash and Nia wondering something.

"I think Shauna misunderstood who Brawly referred to," she pondered. Ash could see it in the same fashion...but thought that Shauna was right.

"Well, when me and my friends talked to Brawly about why he first didn't accept Shauna, it was that she was only focused on strength and winning, the same things that I fought with," he remembered. He had the same traits as Shauna? That's an eye-opener. When Ash saw Lagann, he wondered what it would feel like to be inside that tight of a space that Simon had adjusted to. "I've always wondered about what it would be like inside Lagann. Why don't I go and see." He began to walk toward the Gunman when Nia snatched his arm.

"Let me join you." Ash was a bit stunned with Nia's request...but thought it wouldn't hurt. Both hopped into Lagann and the roof formed over them in the shape of a brain. Ash wasn't claustrophobic. He seemed to be okay...but was it Nia who gave him the support?

"It's a little snug but not too bad." Nia nodded before she settled down and laid onto Ash's chest. She was tired. Ash brushed her head a bit before falling asleep himself. Tomorrow was going to be a doozy.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED... (Thank you all for not only your patience but support while my family and I had to deal with the loss of James of Gales. I've finished one of his stories on his request. If anyone would like to take any of his other stories, it would be greatly appreciated.)


	4. A Dirty Set of Storms

_Chapter 4: A Dirty Set of Storms_

* * *

Last night filled in holes where some would need more than some Spackle. The group of seven arrived and rested at Lake May...but it was the night that might have exposed some hidden secrets that nothing wanted to be released to the public. It's too bad that Ash and Nia had to know as well. Shauna confessed to Simon about what occurred at Brawly's Gym on Dewfort Island when she overheard him on the phone. In her words, she believed that Brawly didn't need a girlfriend. She was so head over heels for him that hearing this made her upset. Simon supported what he thought might be a good idea to which Ash could be in for. Right now, he and Nia were inside Lagann asleep. Yoko woke up, noticing that two of the bed were vacant. She took a head count when she spotted Simon, Shauna, Morrison and Pikachu. "Where's Nia?" she wondered. Nia, not Ash? She stepped outside. There's Ash. Looked like Ash was reading Sara's letter. Thoughts of what Sara would want seemed to be haunting him greatly. "Still trying to make sense of the princess's letter?" Ash turned to the buxom gun-toting redhead from her voice.

"Which princess?" he joked. He hadn't forgotten that Nia was a princess herself. Yoko giggled at the fun Ash was poking.

"Good one. Speaking of, where is she?" Ash pointed to Lagann. Guess she's still inside. "I see." Ash gazed at the blimp, their transportation to the Mirage Kingdom.

"Soon, we'll be going to the Mirage Kingdom to confront the royal family. Let's hope we're not making a mistake." What mistake could that be? Soon enough, everyone was awake, fed and ready to venture out. Simon corralled Lagann onto the blimp with everyone on board to join. The pilots acknowledged the boarding party and closed the gates for liftoff. Propellers turning faster and faster, it would only be moments before they were in the air. Shauna thought back to last night in admitting to Simon about the occurrence at the island. Morrison was giddy. It's like he's never been inside a kingdom in his life.

"Let's go, Mirage Kingdom!" he cheered. Someone's ready.

"Geez, Morrison," Shauna stuttered from the cheer. "No need to get excited over this. We'll meet the princess, wonder what she wants and leave." She was smiling while Ash and Nia watched, knowing full well that she's masking her real feelings. Shauna felt the urge that someone was viewing her. She twisted her head onto Ash who looked out the window. Yoko saw this, thinking that there was something that Ash and/or Shauna were hiding.

"Is everything alright, Shauna?" she wondered. Shauna shot a look to then away from Yoko. She's not talking. Pikachu stepped over to Shauna to see about comforting her.

("Shauna, we're all here for you,") he tried to ease. Shauna looked down on Pikachu. She picked him up and petted him for the while.

"Attention, passengers," the intercom spoke. "Please grab onto something nailed down as we are about to hit some turbulence." The blimp was heading right for a wall of sand that kept billowing from the desert grounds. That had to be the sandstorm wall that stood between the blimp and Mirage Kingdom. The blimp edged closer and closer to the sandstorm wall, going full throttle. The blimp shook. It shook so bad, Yoko wasn't able to hang on. However, she fell right into Ash who grabbed her by the bra strap. He latched onto the knot. Either Ash was wanting a peepshow and snagged the strap to soon or he was just trying to help her out? Yoko grasped the iron bar which she was rattled off.

"You okay?" Ash asked.

"I'll tell you when the ride's over!" she replied. Suddenly, the shaking ceased. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief that the ordeal stopped.

"Well, talk about living the experience again," Simon scoffed. "Had to dig to prevent shifts in the earth's movement and destroying Giha Village." That would explain a lot about Simon. Yoko turned back to Ash, thankful he prevented her from flying into disaster.

"Thanks, Ash." Then she knelt down and...SMOOCH! Right on the cheek. Ash's cheeks reddened, almost to the point that they would gush something a tad disgusting. Keep in mind that he was struck with befuddlement. Shauna was struck...with jealousy.

"What's the big idea in kissing him?" she stormed. "From all you know, he could've yanked your bikini and exposed those...those...monsters of yours!" Boy, Shauna should relax. Ash became more in the clouds and it ain't inside a thunderstorm or sandstorm cloud per say.

"Shauna, what are you getting huffy about?" he questioned. "All I did was keep Yoko from injury." If Ash was playing dumb about the conversation, he was doing an awesome job. Shauna suddenly retreated her reaction. She fidgeted on what to say. "Is there something you wanna talk about?" Her covered was being blown.

"I-I-I was just trying to say not to go too far with her. She's a rebel with a rifle and I don't want you to get hurt in front of Pikachu." Some way to hide emotions...

"Attention, passengers," the pilot spoke once more. "We are arriving in the village within a crevice of mountains. Please make sure you have all belongings as we are about to land. Thank you and have a nice day."

"Well, this is it," Simon realized. The blimp was descending onto a landing pad in front of a town which had a castle that looked like eggs for towers. Once landed, Simon rode Lagann off and the rest stepped out. The group viewed the town, awed by the sheer tranquility of what was there. "The Mirage Kingdom. I think I could use that to burrow out the underworld dwellers and help create a city in Bro's name." There's a thought. That's when soldiers in maroon garb approached the troupe, wielding staffs. There had to be ten of them.

"Mirage Kingdom guards," Ash identified. "Guess they want no chance of approaching the royal family be an opportunity." One guard decided to speak up for the rest of the team.

"We are the guardians of the Mirage Kingdom family," he stated. "Please identify your reason for coming here unannounced." Ash brought out the princess's letter.

"I got a letter from Princess Sara telling me to return," he answered. The guard seemed stunned that someone had a letter from the princess. The guard snagged the paper and read it. He seemed intrigued.

"This is an interesting situation. Very well. I will allow the king to inform you of your audience to him. Follow me." Finally, the group was about to meet with the princess...or so they thought. Other guards blocked the rest. Guess they were doing like Ash guessed: taking no chances.

"Excuse me, but I'm a princess as well," Nia spoke up. She was going to use her title as a way to meet with the princess? "I desire the privilege of seeing Princess Sara." The guards weren't sure if they wanted to allow someone else to see the princess.

"Nia, don't worry," Ash tried to control the argument. "I'll be back soon." Nia shook it off.

"No, I want to seek Princess Sara! As a princess of my kingdom..."

"Okay, okay, you can go as well," the guard surrendered. "However, the rest stay." Now it was Ash, Pikachu and Nia going to see the princess.

"Ash!" Shauna called out. Ash and Pikachu jerked to Shauna, a piece of her mind set. "Be careful. Don't come back injured, you hear?" She was showing more feeling for Ash since he got Yoko's kiss.

"I will," he grinned. Now the guards led Ash and Nia inside the castle, ending in the throne room. Inside the room was a large brunette man with an impressive goatee. He was also dressed in a royal gown, with a red cape.

"Ash, this is a surprise to meet you once again," he smiled. "Ever since you, Misty and your friends have helped with protecting the kingdom, we are all indebted to you and are honorary citizens of the kingdom. I do apologize if I failed to acknowledge this news prior." That was a sweet offer. That's when he noticed Nia. "By the way, who is this? I know it's not May or Misty." Nia stood forward, ready to introduce herself.

"Great King of Mirage Kingdom, I am Nia Tepplin, daughter of the late Lord Genome of the Spiral Kingdom. Along with members of the resistance of Dai-Gurren, I came on behalf of knowledge of your daughter, Princess Sara." The king was astounded to hear about the presence of another princess.

"It is an honor to meet you, Princess Tepplin. Is that the reason you've come to my kingdom?" Ash had the letter ready in his hand.

"I received a letter from Sara, a few days ago while on my way home to Pallet Town in the Kanto Region," he announced. The king became troubled. A letter?

"Present the letter to me." Complying, Ash handed the letter to the king who read it. This would clear up any suspicions about actions in the current...normally. The king was more disagreed with the letter. "Is this some sort of mockery?" A mockery? Was the letter a fake? Ash and Nia couldn't believe that they were set up with something like this. "I want you to write your names and do an analysis on the letter. I know my daughter's handwriting like if it was my own. If your writings don't match this, I believe you." So, someone baited Ash to come to the Mirage Kingdom...but what for? Obeying, Ash and Nia wrote their names onto a paper.

"You want the names of the others who are back at the landing pad?" The king nodded. He wanted no stone unturned. A guard ran out to the pad with the paper.

"Ash, I highly doubt you would stoop this low in order to get to my daughter. If you are telling the truth, we should have no problem ruling you out. I have some of the best forensic scientists in the Hoenn Region aside from Prof. Birch." Sure the evidence could rule out Ash but he was seething. Who would set Ash up like that? An hour passed when the king returned to the throne room where Ash and Nia remained. "I have good news." Let's hear it. "The names you and your friends provided did not match the handwriting on the letter you presented. You are free to go." That's that. Ash, Nia and the others were free of all charges. Still, it pained Ash on why he came over here in the first place. With one final saying, Ash and Nia returned to the rest, anxious to know what happened.

"So, how did it go?" Morrison wondered. "Why did we have to sign our names? It wasn't a guest list, was it?" Ash shook off Morrison's lame guess.

"Someone had forged Princess Sara's name," Nia commented on the situation. The others hiccuped. A forged signature?

"You mean to tell us we joined Ash on a wild goose chase?" Shauna roared. A wild goose chase was a bit much.

"It would seem like that." Ash appeared to be in some serious deep thinking. It caught Simon's attention.

"Something on your mind, Ash?" he asked. Ash still thought for the moment...before he darted his eyes to the side, a few gates seen from the pad's location. Why there?

"I don't like this," he muttered. Obviously because you weren't allowed to see the princess. He began to walk off again, presumably to those gates.

"Ash, wait!" Shauna called as she gave pursuit. Simon and Nia shared a nod before going themselves. Morrison and Yoko didn't want to be left behind and followed the pursuit. Before long, the group were at the gates. Why here? "Ash, why are we over here?" Ash walked to the gate and rose a hand onto it. It touched...something. Like a door, Ash knocked on it. Blue ripples showed up out of the blue.

"What do you suppose that is?" Yoko wondered. They were about to find out. The whole gate lit up a blue light.

"Is that a gateway?" Morrison yelped. If so, to where? That's when a small white fairy-like creature emerged from the light. It had red and blue spots on it. It's head was shaped like a crown. It was also panicked.

("Ash, I need your help!") it chirped. The others were shocked to see such a creature.

"That's a Togetic. But what's a Togetic doing here?" Ash entered the light followed by everyone. What awaited the group became a nightmare. It was a wooded area with spotted trees...and the vegetation was withered and decaying.

"This is the Togepi's Paradise," Ash recognized. "But this is a lot worse than last time I was here. The plants, the trees...it's slowly becoming a wasteland." That's one way of describing the issue.

"Are you saying that this place should be more lively?" Shauna pondered.

"Right. You see, there's a rather unique balance with this place and the Mirage Kingdom. If one is in a serious downgrade, just imagine the other side. Something devastating had to have happened around here to have all these plants dying." Serious business. On the ground scattered many eggs, spike balls to be precise. They had red and blue spots on their shells.

"Look at all these Togepi! They don't look too good!" That's an understatement. Shauna picked a battered Togepi from the ground, weakened for some reason.

"Togepi, huh?" Yoko repeated as she picked one up herself...before turning her back on the boys and...okay...

"You think breastfeeding these creatures will help?" Simon doubted her plan. It still bugged Ash, not the exposure of Yoko's breast to feed a Togepi like a mother to a newborn. He began to wander about, seeing more of the exhausted Togepi. Finally, he saw something...and his expression was anger. He ran to a chestnut redhead female in pigtails...completely nude and face down. A splash of fluids pooled around the body, some blood, some other items. He saw the girl's eyes fixated and listless, almost like she was dead. Something happened to this girl. Something bad. What happened to whoever she was? Was she still alive?

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	5. Some Twisted Rescue

_Chapter 5: Some Twisted Rescue_

* * *

Ash found a redhead girl unclothed on her stomach. Something awful happened to her and Ash seethed anger. It was surreal but here she was, unconscious from some sort of rigorous activity. He placed a hand on her stiffened shoulder. "Sara?" he called. That's...Princess Sara? "Sara, can you hear me?" No movement. Did Ash find a dead princess? Pikachu placed his tail on her wrist. A pulse. Sara was alive.

("She's alive,") he squeaked. ("But what the heck occurred?") That's what Ash was willing to know. Yoko and Shauna spotted Ash and the unconscious Sara. Yoko saw the multiple fluids beneath Sara, gritting the outcome of what occurred here.

"She's been raped," Yoko noted. "She's not in good condition. Her hymen's been ripped to shreds." A violent sexual attack.

"Check out the bruises on her," Shauna pointed to the swollen face and neck. Some bruises showed up on her side, near the ribs. "I'll get Nia's coat." That could only be good for covering the breasts and bruises. The letter, the forgery, the princess's rape...Ash had a conclusion in his head as Shauna went to retrieve Nia's pink coat.

"Now it all makes sense," he figured. "Someone was setting me up to take the fall of Princess Sara's violent encounter. And because of that, her spirit to watch over the Togepi Paradise had been harmed severely to the point of turning here into a wasteland." That's when Yoko thought up a possible suspect to the caper.

"You think Col. Hansen is responsible?" she wondered. Ash was about to answer Yoko's speculation when...

"Han..." Sara weakly moaned. "Han... Han..." She was stirring. Shauna and Nia returned, Simon and Morrison just behind them. Nia removed her coat and tossed it to Yoko.

"Take it easy, Sara," Ash reassured. "We're here."

"Han... Han..." She was pretty shook up. Yoko draped the coat on Sara. Simon realized that medical treatment was required to help her recovery.

"Ash, there's First-Aid on the blimp in a heavy case," he advised. "Here. Take Lagann and pick up the kit we need." Simon handed Ash a small green drill with a rope. Why did Simon have a drill and why was it green?

"This is your key to Lagann?" That drill was a key?

"Can you do it?" Ash nodded before kneeling to Sara.

"Sara, relax. We'll get you some medical aid." Sara wasn't able to respond to Ash's promise.

"Han... Han..." She's out on a loop. Ash began to depart when...

"Ash, let me come along," Shauna requested. Ash turned to the determined battle girl who didn't want no for an answer. He surrendered and nodded to Shauna. The two, Pikachu and Togetic left, leaving Simon, Yoko, Morrison and Nia to attend to Sara's aid. Ash and Shauna exited the Paradise, reentering the Mirage Kingdom. They wasted little time to reach the blimp where Ash hopped into the beastman. He inserted the drill-shaped key into the center of the console where a spiral of lights swirled around the key. Ash placed his hands on the handles. Shauna shifted through the boxes and found a red cross on one. That's gotta be it. "Ash, over here." Ash began to operate the pedals, moving Lagann like Simon performed. So far, so good. The First-Aid was on another crate. Moving gently, he managed to remove the crate with little effort.

"Okay, I got it," he cheered. Carrying the crate, all that needed was to bring it back to the paradise. Easier said than done. A scowling laughter broke the possible peace.

"Well, well, well," an aged man bellowed in a giant black robot. "I didn't think we'd see you so soon?" The robot had the same red "R" that was back on the first robot Ash and Morrison demolished. It did have a different chassis than the first, almost like that first robot that Simon and Nia escaped on, with the addition of devilish horns. Ash heard the sounds from the robot yet wondered what the man sounded when he mentioned "we?"

"Hansen!" The rapist?

"Actually, you should remember the Lugia incident. Does that help you in any fashion?" A Lugia incident? Inside the new robot was an aging man wearing a lab coat. Except for the red hair on the back of his head and under his nose, he was a shrewd old man. Ash was a bit flabbergasted.

"Dr. Namba? Man, all this time after what happened after our stoppage in the Whirl Islands..." It would seem that there was a moment where the two appeared to have met.

"So, you finally came to protect the royal family," an older man sounded. That Ash realized the voice.

"I was wondering when you'd show up, Hansen."

"That's Colonel Hansen to you. By the way, thanks for coming to your demise, not only as a well respected trainer but an honorable citizen to ever live." What did he mean by that?

"I should have known. You raped the princess and wanted to put the accusations on me." The wrongful blame game? They're grownups. They have to be more mature around the youngsters. Ash knew that Shauna was in the line of fire and turned to the female. "Shauna, stay in the blimp. I got this." Shauna didn't want to stay inside a blimp and cower between two robots.

"Let me help!" she requested. Ash jumped a hiccup.

"Shauna, this isn't a Pokémon battle! You could get crushed easily!" There was no time as Bot Rocket steamrolled right at Ash. It threw a punch at Lagann. BANG! Lagann was sent flying into the wall which was part of a mountain. Jets billowed powerful blue flames which slowed Ash and Lagann to a halt. Ash may have regained a little momentum. He needed a major boost. He jettisoned forward but the Rocket and Colonel were ready with a simple backhand. Simple but Ash faked that attack out. The jets switched off for a second, making the backhand miss by a couple inches. Reactivating the boosters, Ash zipped up and skull bashed Lagann to the Rocket Bot. The shot knocked the Rocket Bot off balance.

"You said that our mech has perfect balance!" Hansen argued.

"Relax, your future highness," Namba eased. "I've got the controls." With a couple of pulls, the Rocket Bot reset itself. Ash was in a bit of trouble.

"Okay, I need a new plan," Ash murmured. He was about to go to work when...

"Simon, come in!" someone shouted over some sort of communicator. "Simon, can you read me?" Whoever you are, you're not talking to Simon. That's when a screen revealed itself to be another young raven-haired man wearing white...and stunned to see Ash there. "You're not Simon! The hell you doing in Lagann?" Who was he and how did he know Simon?

"I can explain later. Are you Simon's partner in robot fighting?"

"Indeed. I'm piloting the gunman, Gurren. Where's Lagann?" Ash had to wonder where Gurren was in order to guide him to Lagann.

"Are you pass the sandstorm walls?"

"I am." He's close.

"Just over the mountain ahead."

"I'm on my way." So, Ash was getting help. He still had to watch Namba and Hansen.

"So what now, you worm?" Namba mocked Ash. "Are you still willing to fight us with that tiny mockery of a robot?" Ash had an issue with that giant robot.

"Sorry about that," he apologized. "I just got a call that backup's coming." That might have been the guy looking for Simon. Speaking of, Simon and Morrison stepped out of the paradise to see the problem. There was the bigger robot in black and Lagann who stood about knee high.

"This doesn't look good, size or situation," Morrison murmured. Simon agreed since Ash had never really ridden something remotely close to it.

"Ash needs help in the worst way," Simon gritted when he scented something in the air. "Gurren?" Morrison turned to Simon, hoping he heard him okay.

"Did you say something?" They looked behind the mountains where a bigger red metallic monster showed up. The eyes looking like shades and the giant mouth. To Simon, this was help.

"Gurren!" That's Gurren? "Rossiu's in the pilot seat!" Rossiu?

"Your help made it here?" It would seem so. Ash and the suspected Rossiu looked to be double teaming the robot controlled by Hansen and Namba. That bot jumped, ready to stomp on Ash and Lagann. Gurren raced ahead, intercepting the attack and throwing the Rocket Bot out of the kingdom mountains.

"Look, we need to combine," Rossiu issued. Ash obliged, activating the jets on Lagann and flying over Gurren to the point where a drill emerged from beneath Lagann. Lagann drilled on top of Gurren and a red helmet with a moon shape in front. It looked like the robot that helped Simon and Nia escape from the top of the Spiral Kingdom. Now it's two on two: Ash and Rossiu versus Hansen and Namba. "If I may ask, what's up with these two?" Ash wasn't willing to be nice to the opposing two. Rossiu was okay.

"One of the men inside raped a princess and she's fighting for her life," Ash explained. Rossiu became pissed. Why would someone go and harm the princess in such a disfiguring matter?

"Then it's a good thing I came on behalf of Dai-Gurren." Both charged in where the red robot connected a left hook and spun around for a backhand smack. That smack did the damage in making sure the Rocket Bot was out of position for awhile.

"Let's grab Shauna and the first-aid kit!" The big red robot snagged Shauna and the crate before returning to the gateway.

"I hope it isn't Nia..." Ash overheard Rossiu's concern.

"Nia's fine. It's this princess who resides here." Rossiu sighed in relief. The robot reached the gateway where it dropped off Shauna in front of the rest of the group. The helmet...and mouth opened up where Ash and Rossiu leaped down.

"Rossiu, thanks for the aid," Simon praised.

"Anytime," Rossiu greeted. "I believe this gunman is yours to operate." Simon nodded, ready to swap Ash for action and turned to Yoko.

"Right. Yoko, what do you say?" Yoko nodded. She then turned to Ash...and kissed him on the cheek. A good luck kiss...or maybe more? Shauna got a bit ticked. Simon and Yoko boarded the robot.

"Gurren Lagann ready for battle!" Yoko cheered. Gurren Lagann, huh? Morrison escorted Rossiu and Nia to Sara with the medical supplies. Shauna was alone with Ash. He was watching Simon and Yoko reaching Hansen and Namba. She had enough of Ash getting the loving.

"Screw Brawly!" she yelled. Ash heard that snap and turned to Shauna...and she wasn't in the mood for a conversation.

"You say-" Ash tried to ask for a repeat but Shauna cut his lips with her lips on him. She was embracing Ash like he was Brawly about a few years ago. Has she forgone Brawly? Was it the jealousy fueled by Yoko to forget the Dewfort Gym Leader? Whatever it was, Shauna was satisfied with her option of kissing Ash.

"Marry me!" Whoa, she didn't want to wait. "Promise that you'll marry me!" Ash was stunned with such a proposal.

"O...kay." Shauna didn't seem satisfied about that weak response. She showed off her scary face which lowered Ash's speed harshly...nah, just scared him to cough a confession. "I will! I will!" That made Shauna grin.

"Good boy." That aside, Ash and Shauna watched as the robot and the gunman engaged for battle. Namba made sure the controls were good but he should have kept an eye on the colonel. Hansen was stuttering quite a bit.

"W-W-Who are you?" he shivered. Simon got on the mic.

"A freedom fighter to start," he motioned. "I'm a digger on a mission and not for gold. You see, when you dig, you dig for the heavens. Once I've made it, that means I've won!" That snapped Namba to try a comback. Give it your best shot.

"You do realize that by the union of the Hansen Kingdom and Team Rocket organization, we'll be the most powerful and ruthless organization out in this universe!" he snarled. "Just try and stop us!" Ask and you shall receive.

"Just who the hell do you think I am? I'm Simon the Digger. I'm no trainer! I'm me!" Simon charged in, connecting a right uppercut to the center of the chassis. The black bot was floored.

"I thought overpowering the princess would do me the better," Hansen argued. Guess they weren't prepared for defensive stands.

"I've yet to reveal the arsenal I have," Namba reassured. He hit a few buttons which triggered a few chambers to open and pop out rockets. There had to a dozen big ones. Simon and Yoko were quick to counter.

"Oh, no you don't!" Yoko roared as Gurren Lagann chucked the black specs at the other bot. The specs became two, piercing and clasping on the limbs. That's when Gurren Lagann protruded a dozen drills himself. The drills reinserted themselves before they retreated for one to spring back out...a size of mythical proportions.

"Giga...Drill...Break!" Simon chanted as Gurren Lagann shot forth at the ensnared robot. Gurren Lagann pierced and tore through the shell. Out the other side, Hansen and Namba were about to eat it big. They screamed but that was all they could do. KABOOM! Their bot blew up. Ash and Shauna cheered the victory on as Gurren Lagann stood tall. Were Hansen and Namba killed off? Well, with what Hansen did to Sara, he probably deserved to rot in hell. What about Sara? Would she be okay? And will Simon, Yoko, Rossiu and Nia make it home?

* * *

TO BE CONCLUDED...


	6. Blowing Recovery

_Chapter 6/Final:Blowing Recovery

* * *

_

Remains of the Rocket Bot scattered throughout the outskirts of the desert outside the Mirage Kingdom. Fire from the gas tanks billowed smoke over the mountains which concealed the hidden village. There was no trace of Hansen or Namba. Gurren Lagann stationed itself by the blimp, guarding it from unnecessary passengers. Ash, Morrison, Shauna, Pikachu, Simon, Yoko, Nia and Rossiu were inside the throne room, waiting for news on Sara, the princess who was sexually attacked by Hansen and had suffered outrageous injuries. A couple hours passed. The king had returned. All were anxious to hear the word. "Well, the doctors said that her injuries are severe but she's expected to recover," he informed. This would be a time for collective sighs of relief but no one was happy to hear the good news. They knew what aftermaths would befall someone who was raped.

"Physically, she'll be okay," Yoko murmured. "But mentally?" She shook her head. It was a bad outcome. "Mentally, she'll be in tremendous fear of everyone, even you." The king acknowledged this fact. Still, it was her own flesh and blood.

"While she may have been attacked by that coward Hansen, she's still my dear daughter. Nothing can change that. I'll get her back on her feet, even if I have to rehabilitate her myself." That's one dedicated father. The group could only hope for the best. That's when something disturbed Ash's thoughts.

"By the way, how could you not have realized that Sara was missing all this time?" he asked. Yeah, that's a pretty good question to ask. The king wasn't shamed with what revealed a possibility of what occurred to Sara and was brought forward by Hansen.

"It wasn't Sara that should be questioned, but Hansen." He knew that Sara was in the Togepi Paradise the whole time? Then, he never acknowledged the possibility of Hansen getting help from Namba? "However, now that you brought it up, there was a shrewd man in a lab coat who wanted to examine the vegetation of the Togepi Paradise." Namba! "He tried to say that he wanted some samples of other dimension's vegetation. Even I thought that was ridiculous. I had my guards escort him out of the castle. I believed that he was gone for good." Not the case. That had Nia thinking back to that note Ash received.

"So are you meaning that this Dr. Namba was the one who wrote the note for you?" she questioned. Ash recalled getting the note from a rather unique mail service but now may have realized that he wasn't thinking too far outside the box...er, crater.

"Now that I think about it," he began to think on this new data. "My guess is that Dr. Namba saw me perform in the Evergrand Tournament and how much he hated me for what happened on the Whirl Islands. He may have been the one who gave me the 'letter' in a sense that I would come back here and see if I would be protecting the kingdom." He may have been on the right track, but Rossiu disputed the theory with a question of his own.

"How would Dr. Namba know about the connection between you and Princess Sara?" he wondered. Good point. Ash believed that it wasn't a coincidence...but how could he prove it?

"Rossiu's got you there, Ash," Morrison figured. Did he? Suddenly, Ash had a bank shot on a wild thought.

"Two ways," he answered. "A conjugal visit to the dungeon and mentioning Misty." A visit and a name? Shauna remembered Ash talking about a previous trip out to the kingdom...but how did that relate to Namba...until she figured out that Misty was on an adventure with Ash for sometime.

"I get it," she rose. "You and Misty fought Dr. Namba back in the Johto Region and she had her Togepi. He found out about this place when he got some sort of call by Col. Hansen to align with him. Hansen was helped in escaping and waited until Sara made her trip to the Paradise where Hansen raped her and Namba poisoned the landscape. So, it was by chance that by luring Ash here, he could be accused of raping the princess while the two had all the fun in torturing her." Man, talk about cold and calculating.

"Even if that's the plan, they didn't count on Dai-Gurren to run interference and expose the plan," Simon sneered. He, then, lowered it back to the seriousness. "Still, I kinda wished we got here sooner and saved Sara." Everyone felt the same way. If they knew about this beforehand...

"This was beyond our realization," the king mulled. "However, on hindsight, there is something I can do for you. Ash, you've already received the reward during your first go-around. For the rest, I give you honorary citizenship to be in the Mirage Kingdom." It was a bittersweet reward. They may not have rescued Sara from harm but the rest of the kingdom was protected. That should be something to hold their heads high on. After the moment of praise and prayer for the best for Sara, the group departed the castle. The case of the princess's letter had been closed but in need of a better outcome.

"I do apologize, guys," Ash muttered. "It wasn't my intention to drag all of you into this caper." The rest of them gawked at his apology in a sense that Ash had placed them all in danger. Nia disagreed.

"You are in no position to apologize," she scorned. Was Nia telling Ash to relax about the whole adventure? Ash was rather sympathetic about the whole case that he felt this perplexing guilt.

"I _am_ sorry about all this. If I didn't drag you guys into this mess-"

"Nia's actually right, Ash," Simon broke Ash's speech. Ash now had Nia _and_ Simon to verbally tangle with. "None of us were forced into it. We all decided to be with you and Pikachu on this trip." It's a fact. Morrison jumped into Ash's bandwagon the moment Ash got the false letter, then Shauna once she was rescued by both boys and Simon and his girls joined after they were saved by Ash's brief team. Rossiu only joined the bot battle at the end so he had no such say.

"So, why give us this moody talk when you know that we volunteered for this?" Rossiu smirked. Good point. Ash was being guilty over nothing. Well, almost nothing on him.

"I just thought that I disappointed you somehow," he tried to excuse his apology. Shauna had a laugh that caught the attention of the males. She saw something funny.

"Ash, since when are you the 'sorry' type?" she giggled. "True that we got to see the worst of the kingdom, but that's what we trainers do at the moment's notice. If I recall, that's become your style around the world." Ash scratched the back of his head as if it's an embarrassing detail that he'd rather not be known about.

("Remember the Biker Gang?") Pikachu chimed in. ("Awesome Ash, the superhero! The name fits well.") It did and Nia and Simon chuckled that out.

"You guys!" he shyly complained. Suddenly, the winds were blowing. As the group reached the blimp and Gurren Lagann, there was a twister swirling around, right near where Hansen and Namba were inside the Rocket Bot. If those two were alive, they were about to be tossed miles out. To Simon, Rossiu, Yoko and Nia, home awaited.

"The twister that brought us here," Yoko realized. "Guess it's time to go home." The visitors figured that their time was short. It was long enough for this adventure.

"Looks like it," Shauna surrendered to the fact. "Listen, Simon, don't forget about you Bro. He taught you how to live, your style." Simon agreed and shook Shauna's hand.

"You bet," Simon bobbed. Nia and Yoko joined in the shaking with Ash, though Nia opted to add a hug into it. That was sweet.

"You be careful on your journeys," she whispered. "I know you'll win the next tournament but not without that determination." Ash fluffed a nod of his own.

"I appreciate your support," he huffed. "I do hope your world rebounds from that war you had." While that was going on, Morrison gazed out to the twister. Something about that twister interested him. "Morrison?" That call made Morrison turn to Ash. "Aren't you gonna say goodbye?" Morrison didn't appear to like seeing the split. However, what he did next baffled everyone.

"Yeah," he murmured. He walked past Simon and Yoko and confronted Ash. Suddenly, he embraced his friend in a bearhug. Wait...shouldn't you be hugging Simon or Yoko or Nia for that?

"Morrison, we're over here," Rossiu tried to say without laughing. Morrison ignored Rossiu and dug into his pockets, giving Ash two of the red/white balls and Shauna four. Morrison gave his Pokémon to the two?

"Morrison, what's this all about?" Shauna wondered.

"I'm saying goodbye, that's all," Morrison explained. But why to Ash and Shauna and not to Simon, Yoko, Nia and Rossiu? "Hearing about their war-torn land, I wanna help these guys rebuild the landscapes and be the Ash Ketchum of their world. Besides..." That's when he glared over to Yoko- Oh, ho ho! "I may find a better place over there to find a partner." He's wanting to be in love.

"Morrison, I'm not sure I get you,"Ash hiccuped. Morrison scoffed like he knew Ash would not understand.

"Soon enough, I will. But don't ever forget that we're friends forever. You go win yourself that master title and make all of us proud." Ash still couldn't fathom Morrison's ideas but knowing how headstrong and stubborn about choices he was, he surrendered and shook hands to his good friends. "Take care of Girafarig and Growlithe for me, man. And Shauna, Metang, Steelix, Swampert and Gligar are yours, now." It was the final farewell for one and the start of a new lifestyle by going through the twister. To Ash and Shauna, it would be the final time a friend would walk these earths. To Simon, Nia, Yoko and Rossiu, a new friend was joining Dai-Gurren.

"Take care, big Morrison," Shauna whimpered before diving for one final hug. After the moment, Morrison was picked up by Gurren Lagann and the group, piloted by Simon, entered the twister. Morrison looked back and saw the two friends holding hands. Morrison was proud that Ash had a mate to be with. Still, he never would forget the highs and lows between him and the lives he's touched.

'Ash, I'm proud of you.' When the twister dissipated, Gurren Lagann and the crew were gone.

"I guess...that's it," Ash mumbled. He and Pikachu bowed heads in prayer for their long gone friend. It was quite the adventure where a letter brought one back, formed a union, aligned with freedom fighters and overthrew a dictator in the making.

"There's nothing more now than to go home to Pallet Town," Shauna figured. Nothing more indeed. They boarded the blimp and began to head away from the kingdom, knowing that order would be restored within there. While it would be a while for Ash to accept the fact that Morrison had left, he had someone new to watch over.

* * *

_(? City/7 years later...)_

It was a city like no other. Flying automobiles, skyscrapers up the wazoo and a tall, lean redhead male racing to a hospital. He entered and used the elevator to reach the waiting room. The receptionist spotted the redhead, knowing who it was. "Morrison, you got our page?" she asked. Morrison? He lost all that roundness from before.

"How's Yoko?" he questioned.

"She's in labor. There's still time for you to reach her before she delivers." Labor? Yoko's having a baby? "It's down that hallway and left at the end and to you right. You can't miss it." Morrison nodded before he darted down the hall. He finally burst through the doors to see a more filled Yoko in pain. Her stomach was the size of her breasts which also were bigger.

"Come on, Yoko," one doctor pushed her on. "You can do it. Push!" The grit on her face showed pain. She was pushing and pushing, sweat dripping down her cheeks in agony.

"I see the head," a nurse noticed as she braced to catch the newborn. "Keep going!" With all her inner might, Yoko let out a blood-curdling scream. She finally collapsed onto the pillow, out of energy. Her heavy breathing told everyone that she was winded. That's when there was a cry. A baby crying. A new life had emerged.

"Congratulations, Morrison and Yoko," another doctor praised. "It's a boy." Yoko opened her eyes, smiling at the news of her newborn that came out of her. The nurse cut the umbilical cord and wrapped a towel to clean the blood and other stuff that coated the crying boy.

"He's got quite a lung capacity," Morrison chuckled, proud to be a father. Yoko huffed a giggle of her own.

"Much like his daddy," she joked. The nurse gave Yoko the boy, now wrapped in a tiny blanket with a blue hat. Yoko could coo at how precious he was. "A boy, huh? Well, let's give him a name." A name for a new life. To Morrison, there was a name he immediately thought up.

"I know. How about after my good friend, Ash?" Morrison named the boy after the friend who he last saw at the Mirage Kingdom. Yoko liked the name...but wanted to add a little more.

"Ashford Kamina Littner. How about that?" Morrison loved it. The kid was the new Ash in his life. Yoko and Morrison had a child together and now a whole lot of love between the three of them. Morrison wondered how his friend, Ash was doing since their separation. If he could, he would go and see how he was doing. However, for right now, a boy was born in his helping name. A lifetime of lessons to be taught...and a voyage that could being anew.

* * *

THE END


End file.
